Sunday, March 27, 2011

Scenario: The Fall of Dominus Org

A Wee Apocalypse Match

Place and date

Sunday 12 August at my place (metro Mont Royal)

The 'Fluff'

The Global Fortress of Dominus Org fell to the forces of darkness, after a prolonged siege. Imperial reinforcements arrived too late, but continue to encircle the planet in the atmosphere above. Meanwhile all hell has broken loose on the surface as abominations and heretics loot and burn the once proud bastion of the Emperor.

Tentative Schedule

The game will last five rounds with the limitation of a half-hour for each player. Each team will also receive 15 minutes before each round for strategizing. Each full turn will last one hour and 15 minutes:

It will be an Apocalypse match of 21,000 points (6 players with 3500 points each). There will be two teams of 3 players each.

There are some restrictions on the composition of your armies

a) 3500 points each
b) 20 units that are not HQs, flyers or legendary units
c) Only one legendary unit per player
d) Only one Apocalyptic formation per player
e) Only 3 flyers per player
f) No fortifications
g) Old codexes will be paired with new codexes wherever possible

Scratchbuilds are welcomed and encouraged.

The Battlefield

There will be two tables joined in a "T". The first (white on photo below) will represent the exterior and the other (gray on photo below), the fortress. Where the tables are joined is the gate of the fortress. Also, there will be 12 sewers (6 per table) and 12 objectives(6 per table). The fortress has more buildings (8 in total) and the exterior will have mobile area terrain (snowstorms).

There will be two snowstorms in total each deploying 2 feet inwards from their respective table edges (where the x’s are on the photo below). They will fluctuate depending on the movement of their 3 points. Roll a scatter die for each point and move it 2x d6 inches at the beginning of the first turn (not player turn). In the following turns, the points will only scatter 1d6. Units more than 50% hidden by or within the snowstorm are considered in cover as per the area terrain rules. Legendary/gargantuan units cannot get cover from a snowstorm, however flyers that are not super heavy can.

Shots fired through the door of the fortress do not have restrictions, but shots that go through the walls of the fortress (yellow lines) will give a 2+ invulnerable cover save to the targets.

A can shoot at F without restrictions but cannot shoot on D without giving a 2+ invulnerable save to D.

B can shoot at D, E and F without restrictions, but if B is a flyerthat is not hovering, it cannot shoot at E without giving it a 2+ invulnerable save because of its height.

Apocalypse Rules Deviations

The game will follow the standard rules for Apocalypse with a few exceptions:

Deployment

Each table will be divided like a standard Apocalypse game and each team will bid for which starts first. Then the winning team can deploy units on each table with the following restrictions:

Round 1 - must deploy 10-25% of forces and can deploy up to 50%.
Round 2 - must deploy 26-50% of forces and can deploy up to 75%.
Round 3 - must deploy 51-75% of forces and can deploy up to 100%.
Round 4 - 100% of forces must be deployed.

The Flyers can deploy on the table inside, but they are considered above the roof (unless they are hovering) and so anything they target that is inside the fortress, receives a 2 + invulnerable save. The flyers do not receive this benefit for themselves if the units shooting on them are stationed in the highest level of the buildings.

Objectives

The game is won by objective points. The table has 6 gas objectives and the table inside will have 6 looting objectives. Each player must designate up to 20 units that will be transporting materials required for the looting and siphoning. These units can be anything except HQ, flyers or units of legend. If a looting/siphoning unit ends its turn within 6 inches of an objective, roll on the respective table:

Gas Objective

1-2 Oops! Your siphoning methods were shoddy and the siphon explodes (this does not destroy the siphon and it can be used again in the following turn. Place a 5” blast template over the objective. Everything touching or under the template suffers a S7 AP3 hit. This does not affect flyers that are not hovering.

1-2 Accident! Whether you have caused a ceiling to cave in by all of your digging, or the booty you seek has been booby trapped, this just isn’t your lucky day. Place a 5” blast template over the objective. Everything touching or under the template suffers a S7 AP3 hit. This does not affect flyers that are not hovering.
3-6 Success! You got the loot. Receive 1-3 objective points

Note, if the objectives are contested, the struggle will result in an Oops! or an Accident! result on a roll of 1-3 on a d6 but neither side can receive points.

Assets Arms Race

Every player begins the game with 0 assets. However, they will acquire them as they amass objective points, based on the following table:

Assets are selected during the fifteen minutes of reflection between turns. No asset can be selected twice during the entire game. Cross them off the list as they are selected. The player who scored higher in that particular turn chooses his/her assets first. Then the player with the next highest objective points score chooses next. In the case of a tie they roll off.

The doomsday device is activated during the movement phase of a player who has scored 50 or more objective points. At the end of that player's turn, the Imperial Palace is destroyed. In game terms, that means the entire interior table is rendered impassable terrain. Only flyers that are not hovering will survive this.

To add a random element of chaos, the battlefield will be besieged by random shit.
Each player must roll on this table at the beginning of each of their turns, and apply the results immediately:

1 Trigger-happy commander – Orbital bombardment

The Imperial commander waiting in the battle cruiser in the skies above grows impatient with waiting and orders an orbital bombardment regardless of who might be wiped out in the process.

Throw a scatter die under handed on either table with your back turned to the table. Place a 10” blast template 3d6” away from where the die landed in the direction of the arrow. A “hit” means the template does not scatter. Everything under the template suffers a S10, AP2 hit. Models on the fortress table receive a 2+ invulnerable cover save.

2 Structural failure

The crumbling fortress of Dominus Org really is crumbling. The ceiling caves in, dropping hundreds of tons of steel and concrete on the heads of the hapless looters below.

Throw a scatter dice under handed on the fortress table with your back turned to the table. Place the Apocalyptic barrage template 3d6” away from where the die landed in the direction of the arrow. A “hit” means the template does not scatter. Anything under the template suffers an S7 AP3 hit. This does not affect flyers.

3 Gas Leak

The gas siphoning procedures have made the spouts unstable and every so often one of them ignites, blowing gouts of flames in a wild spurt across the snow and ice.

Mark the gas objectives on the outdoors table from 1-6. Then roll a d6 to determine which objective is affected. This objective ignites and blasts gouts of flame. This is represented by the Hellstorm template. Roll a scatter die for the direction of the template and place it with the narrow end on the objective. Everything under the template suffers a S7, AP3 hit. This does not affect flyers that are not hovering.

4 Playing for the wrong team

The profusion of toxins, gases, erratic warp energy, and environmental waste generated by the destroyed palace has made the battlefield a veritable cocktail of insanity. This atmosphere takes its toll on the combatants causing some to forget who they are and what they are fighting for.

Take control of an enemy unit of your choice for your player turn and the next player’s turn. You can use this unit as if it was your own in both turns as if both turns were your own, but you cannot cause it to commit suicide (ie. Attack itself, walk into dangerous terrain without good reason, etc.).

5 Nerfed!

Warp energies have become unstable around Dominus Org and are affecting the natural laws of the universe.

Your enemy chooses one of your models and reduces all its stats to the following:

Ws1 bs 1 s1 t1 w 1 i1 a1 l1 sv6+

All special abilities are cancelled (invulnerable saves, etc.) and all weapons, wargear, armour, etc. cannot be used. These effects last until the end of the next player’s turn. This cannot be used against a mechanical model of any kind; nor against legendary units.

6 Landscaping

The earth itself moves as random warp energies seek to destroy the fabric of the space time continuum.

Move any moveable terrain wherever you like on either table wherever there is space. You cannot move another piece of terrain to place yours. However, you can plunk it down on top of figurines, crushing them as if under a template. All figurines crushed in this fashion suffer an S10 AP2 hit and if they survive will scatter to the edge of the terrain as determined by a throw of the scatter dice (1 toss for all the models). Any models on the piece of terrain move with it. Squads that are half on the terrain will be split up, forcing the smaller portion of the squad to move as quickly as possible each turn in order to rejoin their unit (ie. They cannot fire or assault, although they can be themselves targeted and assaulted). Flyers that are not hovering are unaffected and remain in place. Objectives stay in place as well.

Sewers

Sewers offer increased mobility & speed of movement. Units feel safer underground and thus can move much faster, but they will still incur certain risks.

Unit & Movement Restrictions

Only infantry size units can enter the sewers (nothing with a 6 cm base or larger).

Every member of a unit must be able to reach within 2 inches of the mouth of the sewer with their regular movement in order to enter the sewer.

Units can disembark from a vehicle and enter a sewer on the same turn.

If the entire unit can enter the sewer, then they may then move to the next available sewer (which should be no more than 18 inches away). This is represented by placing one model from the unit on the mouth of the sewer from which they wish to exit.

A unit can only embark or disembark from a sewer in the same turn, not both.

When exiting a sewer, units get the regular 2” disembarking movement plus their regular movement.

The unit is able to assault upon exiting a sewer.

Fighting in a sewer

If two units try to move to the same sewer mouth, there will be a combat. The player whose turn it is can fire and then engage in close assault as normal following the usual strictures of combat as outlined in the 40k rulebook. The only difference is only 4 members from each unit can fire or assault as the sewer is so cramped, but they can also only lose 4 members per assault. Models engaged in the assault must be nominated before rolling any dice and casualties must be inflicted on these nominated models (e.g. if you nominate your powerfist champion as one of the participating combatants, and you lose all four models, then you lose the powerfist champion).

Blocking a sewer

A unit can be blocked from exiting if something covers the exit. A vehicle can drive on top; a monstrous creature can sit on it, etc. This will give the unit inside the sewer several options:

If the blocking unit is a vehicle, they can try to assault it. They will score automatic hits but only 4 members of a squad can attack as the sewer is so cramped.

If the blocking unit is a monstrous creature, dreadnought, etc.; they can try to assault it. Only 4 members of a squad can attack as the sewer is so cramped, but they can also only lose 4 members per assault. Models engaged in the assault must be nominated before rolling any dice and casualties must be inflicted on these nominated models (e.g. if you nominate your powerfist champion as one of the participating combatants, and you lose all four models, then you lose the powerfist champion).

If the blocking unit is an infantry size unit; they can try to assault it and can likewise be assaulted. Only 4 members of a squad can attack from either side as the sewer is so cramped, but they can also only lose 4 members per assault. Models engaged in the assault must be nominated before rolling any dice and casualties must be inflicted on these nominated models (e.g. if you nominate your powerfist champion as one of the participating combatants, and you lose all four models, then you lose the powerfist champion).

Targeting a unit in a Sewer with range weapons

Units can only fire guns or similar weapons on a unit in a sewer if they are standing at the mouth of the sewer (i.e. the firing models must be touching the sewer mouth). They will only be able to hit up to four members of the unit in the sewer as the space is too cramped. If casualties are inflicted, the targeted player chooses which of his models die.

Targeting a unit in a Sewer with Template weapons

On the condition that the models wielding said weapons are in base2base contact with the mouth of the sewer, template weapons aimed into a sewer or aimed at another unit in a sewer automatically hit every member of the unit.

Blast template weapons that explode on the mouth of the sewer will only affect 4 members of a unit (it is up to the unit’s player to decide which models are affected. The center dot of the template must be on the mouth of the sewer, otherwise there is no effect.